Wondrous Words Wednesday

1.– My first word this time I came across whilst participating in the excellent meme ”Book Beginnings On Fridays’ and was used in the entry of meme host Gilion @ ‘Rose City Reader’.

I have obviously led a very sheltered life, because I promise you I had no idea what this word meant!

CATAMITE

It was the afternoon of my eighty-first birthday, and I was in bed with my catamite when Ali announced that the archbishop had come to see me.

CATAMITE –

A boy kept for homosexual practices.

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 2. – Next up is a word featured by another blogging acquaintance. This time the lovely Hila, from ‘The Sill of the World’, featured the word in her regular ‘Week In Seven Words’ post …

It lifted off from a chair-back,
Beating a smooth course for the right window
And clearing the sill of the world.
– Richard Wilbur, “The Writer”

OLID

A woman rolls down her stockings and washes her feet in a reeking rest stop.

OLID –

Having a strong, disagreeable smell; fetid.

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3. –  This word featured in a book I read some time ago, and whilst I could have easily deduced its definition from the context in which it was used, I have never before seen the word written in this form and I needed to assure myself that its usage was indeed, part of the current English language.

CEMENTITIOUS

Insulated fibre board is a common used product in new resdential and commercial builds, and consists of a dense and strong sheet of glass fibre held together with a modern hybrid (cementitious) material, glued to a thick layer of solid foam insulation.

CEMENTITIOUS –

Of or relating to a chemical precipitate, especially of carbonates, having the characteristics of cement.

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… Is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we have encountered in our reading. It is hosted by Kathy, over at ‘BermudaOnion’s Weblog’.You can either stop by and leave a link to your own ‘mystery’ words of the week, or just browse the eclectic mix of words that others have discovered, there is always a great selection.